Economy

Jan
22
2026
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By Abia ThinkTank
Otti’s Agricultural Revolution: Exploring Strategic Partnership With Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority – By Ebere Uzoukwa Ph.D (SSA To Governor Otti On Public Affairs)

Otti’s Agricultural Revolution: Exploring Strategic Partnership With Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority – By Ebere Uzoukwa Ph.D (SSA To Governor Otti On Public Affairs)

Abia State, Agriculture, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy
Otti’s Agricultural Revolution: Exploring Strategic Partnership with Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority By Ebere Uzoukwa, PhD The recent engagement between Governor Alex Chioma Otti, OFR and Senator Emmanuel Anosike-led Executive Management Committee of the Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority marks a defining moment in Abia State’s renewed drive to reposition agriculture as a central pillar of economic growth, food sufficiency and rural development. Beyond the ceremonial value of the visit, the interaction clearly reflects a shared commitment to reviving structured agriculture through strategic collaboration, effective use of data and purposeful governance. The Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority is one of…
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Jan
22
2026
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By Abia ThinkTank
FGN To Integrate Islamic Finance Standards Into Nigeria’s Reporting System

FGN To Integrate Islamic Finance Standards Into Nigeria’s Reporting System

Business, Economy, FGN, News Flash
FG To Integrate Islamic Finance Standards Into Nigeria’s Reporting System The Federal Government has initiated steps to integrate Islamic finance accounting and auditing standards into Nigeria’s financial reporting system, as part of efforts to enhance transparency, deepen financial inclusion,, and position the country as a leading hub for non-interest finance in Africa. The initiative was unveiled by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria at a stakeholders’ engagement on the integration of Islamic finance standards into the Nigerian Financial Reporting Framework, held at the Abuja Continental Hotel on Wednesday in Abuja. Attnews reports that the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic…
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Jan
16
2026
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By Abia ThinkTank
Supreme Court Reverses Ex-Jigawa Governor Lamido’s Acquittal In N1.35bn Fraud Trial

Supreme Court Reverses Ex-Jigawa Governor Lamido’s Acquittal In N1.35bn Fraud Trial

Crime, Economy, Judiciary
Supreme Court Reverses Ex-Jigawa Governor Lamido’s Acquittal In N1.35bn Fraud Trial The Supreme Court has set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal that discharged former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido and his sons, Mustapha and Aminu, of money laundering charges. A five‑member panel of the Supreme Court handed down the decision in a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday in separate appeals filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In the lead judgment read by a member of the panel, Abubakar Umar, the Supreme Court set aside the 25 July 2023 rulings of the Court of Appeal…
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Jan
03
2026
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By Abia ThinkTank
Abia 2026 Appropriation: A Strategic Budget Of N1.016 Trillion – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia 2026 Appropriation: A Strategic Budget Of N1.016 Trillion – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, Good Governance
Abia 2026 Appropriation: A Strategic Budget of ₦1.016 Trillion Abia State has formally entered a new fiscal category. With the signing into law of the ₦1.016 trillion 2026 Appropriation Act, Governor Alex Chioma Otti has positioned Abia among Nigeria’s high-capacity subnational economies, moving the conversation from promises to measurable commitments. The figure—₦1,016,228,072,651.99—was confirmed by the Abia State Government following the budget signing on December 29, 2025, a full three days before the new fiscal year, signalling planning discipline rather than improvisation (https://abiastate.gov.ng).Unlike previous cycles where budgets were largely aspirational, the 2026 appropriation is structured around consolidation of ongoing infrastructure, institutional…
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Dec
19
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Why Abia Politics Is Changing – And Why Accountability Is No Longer Optional Under Alex Otti – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Why Abia Politics Is Changing – And Why Accountability Is No Longer Optional Under Alex Otti – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, Good Governance
WHY ABIA POLITICS IS CHANGING — AND WHY ACCOUNTABILITY IS NO LONGER OPTIONAL UNDER ALEX OTTI In every reform cycle, resistance follows reform. History shows that when entrenched systems of patronage and impunity begin to crack, the loudest reaction often comes not from evidence but from emotion. What is playing out in Abia State today fits a familiar global pattern: governance reforms provoke discomfort among political actors accustomed to opacity, while citizens unused to data-driven leadership struggle to recalibrate expectations. Contrary to the claim that accountability has collapsed under Governor Alex C. Otti, available evidence suggests the opposite. Abia has,…
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Dec
19
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Global Tides, Local Choices: How International Governance Shifts Are Shaping Abia’s Development Path – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Global Tides, Local Choices: How International Governance Shifts Are Shaping Abia’s Development Path – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, Good Governance
GLOBAL TIDES, LOCAL CHOICES: HOW INTERNATIONAL GOVERNANCE SHIFTS ARE SHAPING ABIA’S DEVELOPMENT PATH The world is in the middle of a quiet but consequential governance reset. From fiscal reforms in emerging economies to renewed global focus on inequality, health systems, and security, governments are being forced to rethink how states plan, spend, and protect their citizens. These global shifts are no longer abstract conversations in Washington, Geneva, or New York. They are landing directly in sub-national spaces like Abia State, where policy choices now intersect with international development logic more than at any point in the past two decades. Nigeria…
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Dec
17
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Two Long-Term Roadmaps, Two Governance Philosophies: What Abia Learned From Ikpeazu’s Plan – And Why Otti’s 25-Year Strategy Is Structurally Different- By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Two Long-Term Roadmaps, Two Governance Philosophies: What Abia Learned From Ikpeazu’s Plan – And Why Otti’s 25-Year Strategy Is Structurally Different- By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, Good Governance, Politics
TWO LONG-TERM ROADMAPS, TWO GOVERNANCE PHILOSOPHIES: WHAT ABIA LEARNED FROM IKPEAZU’S PLAN — AND WHY OTTI’S 25-YEAR STRATEGY IS STRUCTURALLY DIFFERENT Long-term development plans are not unusual in governance. What distinguishes success from failure is not the length of the document, the cost of consultants, or the beauty of launch ceremonies, but whether the plan is institutionally embedded, legally binding, fiscally aligned, and execution-driven. Abia State has now witnessed two such long-horizon plans within a short span, and the comparison raises legitimate questions that deserve answers rooted in facts, not sentiment. In 2017–2018, the Abia State Government under Governor Okezie…
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Dec
17
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
NMDPRA Boss, Farouk Ahmed, NUPRC Chief, Komolafe Resigns Amid Face-Off With Dangote

NMDPRA Boss, Farouk Ahmed, NUPRC Chief, Komolafe Resigns Amid Face-Off With Dangote

Economy, News Flash, Oil & Gas
NMDPRA Boss, Farouk Ahmed, NUPRC Chief, Komolafe Resign Amid Face-off With Dangote Farouk Ahmed has resigned as Chief Executive of the NMDPRA. Also, Gbenga Komolafe has stepped down from his position as Chief Executive of the NUPRC. Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari after the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act. The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. STATE PRESS RELEASEEngineers Farouk Ahmed, Gbenga Komolafe resign, President Tinubu nominates successors to the Senate for approval. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate…
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Dec
17
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Succession, Not Elections: The Hidden Battle That Will Decide Abia’s 25-Year Development Future – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Succession, Not Elections: The Hidden Battle That Will Decide Abia’s 25-Year Development Future – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, Good Governance, Politics
SUCCESSION, NOT ELECTIONS: THE HIDDEN BATTLE THAT WILL DECIDE ABIA’S 25-YEAR DEVELOPMENT FUTURE For all the noise that dominates Nigerian politics, history shows that long-term development is rarely defeated by opposition parties or public criticism. It is defeated by something quieter and more lethal: succession failure. As Abia State sketches a 25-year development horizon under Governor Alex Otti, the most consequential question is not who wins the next election, but who governs after him—and whether governance survives beyond personalities. This is not speculation. It is a pattern well documented across successful and failed reform states worldwide. THE FIRST PHASE (2023–2031):…
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Dec
15
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Forests, Fortune, And Power: The Dark Political Economy Of Violence, Exploitation And Insecurity In Nigeria – By Prof. Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Forests, Fortune, And Power: The Dark Political Economy Of Violence, Exploitation And Insecurity In Nigeria – By Prof. Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Economy, Columns/Opinions/Letters
FORESTS, FORTUNE, AND POWER: THE DARK POLITICAL ECONOMY OF VIOLENCE, EXPLOITATION AND INSECURITY IN NIGERIA Across Nigeria, the intersection of forests, fortune, and power has evolved into a shadow political economy where violence, criminal enterprise, and institutional weakness reinforce one another. Forests—once symbols of cultural heritage, biodiversity, and livelihood—have increasingly become theatres of kidnapping, banditry, and organised crime. This transformation is not accidental. It reflects how geography, poverty, governance failures, and profit incentives converge to create zones of impunity. Nigeria’s security leadership has openly acknowledged the strategic role forests play in sustaining criminal operations. The Chief of Defence Staff, General…
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